


Veronica Meets Backup

by Haywire



Category: Veronica Mars (TV)
Genre: Gen, Gen Fic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-12-07
Updated: 2011-12-07
Packaged: 2017-10-27 01:23:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/290050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Haywire/pseuds/Haywire
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A little ficlet I wrote for someone as a prompt ages ago, and figured I could share it here as well. :) Just a random fic where a young Veronica and Keith first meet Backup.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Veronica Meets Backup

The shelter staff were very friendly, allowing Keith and Veronica to enter the premises even though they were set to close in five minutes' time. He thanked them profusely, whenever he could get a word in edgewise, that was; Veronica continually pointed to the poster she clutched tightly in her right hand. It was a missing sign for someone's pet, and there was a picture of a beagle sitting on someone's lawn centered prominently on it.

Veronica had been walking home from school and had seen the posted on a light pole. Her 9th grade Civics teacher had tasked her and her fellow Neptune Junior High students with an assignment to write a paper on civic responsibility, and she was taking it quite seriously. She brought the poster home and begged her father, the local sheriff, to help her track down the dog for its owner. It was their civic duty to help as much as they could, she'd claimed, and she graciously offered to split the reward money with him, 60/40 for her, of course.

After searching the area for the better part of an hour, Veronica had spied the shelter and, even though their hours were clearly marked on the outside of the establishment, she'd insisted on asking them if they'd picked up the same beagle lately, or if they had any leads they could use.

The lady working on the front counter let her down easy when she told Veronica they had no beagles at the moment and hadn't had any for quite some time. She even let Veronica go through the back of the shelter to visually confirm there were no beagles on site. Keith and the lady sat out in the waiting room since Veronica bolted down the hallway when she was given permission to do so.

"Sorry again. She means well, she does." Keith offered a lopsided smile to the lady as he looked down the hallway down which his daughter had darted moments earlier.

"It's alright, sheriff, really." The lady returned the smile as she moved behind her desk, turning off the lights in a nearby room and shutting the blinds in the front window. No one else was in the building now except for the three of them. "It's good to see children interested in helping out."

"Yes, that's what I tell myself too." He looked at the clock on the wall. "Veronica, sweetheart, we should be going now, the lady needs to close up."

"DAD! COME HERE, QUICK!" Veronica's voice sang out, loud and high pitched.

Keith looked to the lady before taking off and running down the hallway. "What is it, are you ok? What's..." He came to a halt when he saw Veronica on her hands and knees in front of a kennel, face to face with a puppy.

"Isn't he the cutest thing ever, dad? Can we get him? Please? Pleaaaaaaase?" She reached through the cage with her fingers, petting the little pit bull as best as she could. The dog happily rubbed his head back against her. "I'll feed him and walk him and clean up after him and everything!"

He sighed and turned back to face the lady who had now caught up to him. "I'm sorry, I thought she might've gotten into trouble." He reached down and ruffled Veronica's hair. "She does that sometimes." She was unfazed as she continued playing with the puppy.

"I see she's found a friend." The lady bent down beside Veronica. "Would you like to hold him, little girl?"

Her eyes all but popped out of her face. "Oh boy, yes please, ma'am!" Veronica took her fingers out of the cage, slapping her hands together in front of her and rubbing her palms back and forth.

"You don't have to do that, ma'am, I know it's getting late and you're supposed to close..."

The lady opened the cage and Veronica all but lunged for the puppy, who seemed perfectly fine to be held in her arms. "It's alright, sheriff, it's what we do. I'd rather see our little friend here go to a good home than... you know. Even if it means staying a little late."

Keith looked over to her as she spoke. "Oh, he's going to be... you knowed?" He kept his voice quiet, though Veronica was too busy talking to the puppy and snuggling him to pay attention to what they were saying.

She nodded. "Tomorrow afternoon, unfortunately, unless we find him a new home."

"Dad, dad, isn't he the cutest thing ever?!" Veronica stood up, holding the puppy aloft to her father's face so he could see. "We _have_ to take him home with us now, 'sides, he's out of the cage and everything."

Before Keith could argue with her logic, the dog emitted a high pitched bark and licked him on the lips. Veronica giggled as the dog did it again, and Keith just stood there with his eyes closed. After a few seconds she pulled the dog back in for a hug, waiting for her father to speak along with the lady from the shelter.

He turned to the lady, arching his eyebrows. "You really don't mind staying late, then?"

She smiled as Veronica sensed her victory and let out a squeal of delight, joined in unison by the puppy. "I'll start the paperwork."

"You'll do everything you said you would, right? And more? You have to promise to back up your words, young lady."

"Backup! That'll be his name, daddy! He can be my backup and we'll go on all sorts of fun investigations - maybe he can help me find the beagle! Oh dad, thank you so much, I love you!" She kept one hand firmly around the pit bull and hugged her father around the waist with the other.

He grinned, looking back down at the puppy. "Backup, huh? That'll do, I think." The dog barked in approval and the pair chased the lady back to the front office to complete some late but happy paperwork.


End file.
